“You ready now, bro?” D asks, poking his head around the door.

“Yeah.”

I click my wheels in to action and follow him out of the door and into the elevator.

“Mom wanted to come today and see how you’re progressing, but I managed to get Ari to distract her with a shopping trip and my AmEx.”

“It’s not that I don’t want her to watch, D. It’s just …”

“I know.” He gives a tight nod and clamps his hand on my shoulder. “You want to see her face when she sees how far you’ve come.”

“Yup. And I’m not quite there yet, ya know?”

“Don’t have to explain yourself to me, man. Whenever you’re ready.”

We move through the foyer and out of the front double doors. Each time I do this it gets easier. Not easy. But easier. My chest still tightens when I first come out of the air conditioned building and get hit by the heat, but I’m able to push away the flashbacks that make my nerves shake.

“Bro!” Tara yells from the sidewalk and I snap my head around. Oh god, D is going to go nuts in three, two, one …

“What the fuck is that?” Denham roars, his eyes wide like they’re about to pop out of his head with a scowl on his face.

“This, dear brother, is a Harley,” she answers with a sweet smile before winking in my direction as she knows this will wind him up.

“Do I look stupid, Tara?” he bites, clearly feeling out of his brotherly comfort zone.

“No. Do I look like a twelve-year-old?” she retorts sharply.

“What?” he snaps, tapping his foot. I can feel the annoyance and frustration coming off him in waves.

“This, D, is a Harley. Not just any Harley. This is my Harley and I’ll be riding it to Seattle tomorrow morning.” Tara looks pleased with herself as she props her elbow on the bars of the very shiny, black motorcycle.

“Seattle?” Denham roars. “What the fuck are you going to Seattle for?”

“You know how far Seattle is, T?” I ask softly, trying to diffuse the atmosphere between two of the most stubborn people I know, and keep the peace just a little bit.

“Yes. I know how far it. Yes, I know how to ride a Harley. And yes, I’m well aware that neither of you think I’m capable of doing this.” Denham opens his mouth to interrupt her but she steps forward and holds her index finger up to stop him. “I am twenty four years old. You all treat me like a child because I’m the youngest in the family, but I need to do this to show you I can spread my wings without falling. So, me and Hank here,” she taps the seat of her new bike, “Will be spending a little time together while we ride to Seattle then down along the West Coast.”

“Hank?” I screw my face up at her nickname.

“Yup. Hank the Harley. It suits him, I think.”

“Fuck. Okay,” D says, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “We have to go or we’re gonna be late, but this conversation is not over.” He pins his gaze on Tara and she gives him a smirk.

“Good luck today, Spike. I’ll see ya later, yeah?” She strides toward me and kisses me on the cheek.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” I tell her lightheartedly.

She winks and throws her hair over her shoulder. “Yeah, I know, but I’m living it.”

Chapter 16

“Is everything okay?” Torr asks me as I end the call from Spike.

“I have to go,” I mumble, hopping up off the stony beach and starting to walk away.

“Lotts,” Torr calls out from behind me, before gently tugging me to a halt by my elbow. “What’s going on?”

I turn to face his concerned expression. “Torr, when you were little did your mom or dad tell you to wish on shooting stars?”

“Nah, my parents were arseholes. They would tell me to get out of their hair, or to leave them alone.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t expecting him to say that. It’s probably the most personal information Torr has shared with me about himself and it hits close to home because of my relationship with my own parents, well, my mom and stepdad anyway. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s fine.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but I can see sadness in his eyes.

“Before my dad died, he would always look out of my window with me at night and we’d watch for shooting stars. We didn’t get many of them but when we did, it was so special. My dad told me that everything I wished for would come true one day. So I wished for a happily ever after. Every time, every shooting star,” I recall wistfully, looking in to the night sky. “I don’t even think I knew what it meant at five years old, it was just how all the story books ended. But I do know what that means for me now.”

“You’ll get your happily ever after, Lottie.” He reaches out and rubs my upper arm soothingly.

“Maybe,” I look around us. “But I won’t find it here.”

“You never know.”

I smile at his hopefulness for me, but shake my head. “My wishes couldn’t bring my dad back, or take my horrible bastard of a stepdad away, but they can change my path now.” I take a deep breath and blow it out. “I need to go back to Vegas, Torr.”

I’ve never been so sure of anything. It’s like I’m being pulled like a magnet, a draw so strong I can’t ignore it. I have to be where my family is.

“You do? Why such a fast decision? The phone call?” He searches my eyes for an answer, or maybe he’s looking for an indication that this is a rash decision.

“I have to go back, to Arianna, to Spike. I have to see if there’s anything left after the wreckage. There’s still a tiny spark of hope glowing in my heart. I can’t let that burn out without going back.”

“I hear ya.” He nods with a wry smile.

“I’m sorry. I know it means you’re gonna have to find a new receptionist, and it’s short notice, but …”

“I’ll cope. If this is what you need to do, if it makes you happy. When are you thinking of leaving?”

“I’m going now. Right this minute.”

“Now? How are you going to do that? You got a teleporter that I don’t know about?”

“No, I’ll just get the first available cab to the airport and the first available flight to Las Vegas. It feels right. Although I’ve been okay here, and you’ve been so wonderful to me, I’ve also realized that I don’t want to be here on my own. I want to be with Ari, and D and even Tara, who really annoys the shit out of me, but I miss her. And Spike, he’s the reason I’m here, he’s why I needed to get away and clear my head, but now he’s the main reason I have to go home. I have to see if there’s still something between us, and if not … then I need to try and find a way to be friends with him. I can’t live without them in my life. All of them. They’re my family.”

“You’re a crazy bitch,” he laughs, shaking his head at me.

“I’m spontaneous!”

“I say crazy!”

“Yeah,” I laugh. “You’re right. I am crazy.”

“Are you gonna call someone, your friend, and let her know you’re coming?” Torr asks as we near the airport. He insisted on driving me, which I thought was very sweet, and I was pleased that I had a little more time with him. We had checked flight times online and there was one in six hours’ time, so I booked it and threw my belongings into my case. I couldn’t have sat on my decision. The minute I made the choice to go back to Vegas, I knew I had to leave on the next available flight out. It felt right, deep down in my gut, I knew it was time.

“Nope. I’m gonna surprise them. Ari will squeal so loud that I’m sure you’ll hear her from here.” I grin.

Torr glances over at me before looking back to the road. “I’m gonna miss your crazy arse around the studio.” He gives a small smile and holds out his hand to the side for me to take. As I place my hand in his, he closes his fingers around mine and brings them up to his lips, kissing the back of my knuckles softly.

“I’m gonna miss you too, Torr,” I sigh and turn my head to look out of the window. If I look at him, I know I’m going to cry.